More on Encouraging Secular Franciscan vocations

A few weeks ago, one of the younger members of our Secular Franciscan Fraternity passed away. We have several others dealing with serious health issues, and others who have health problems that keep them from meetings.

In the interim, we have been getting ready for elections to the Fraternity Council. There are indications that I might be elected Vice Minister, possibly even Minister. I've been nominated to both positions, and three years ago was almost elected Vice Minister (three tied ballots, then the other candidate, being professed longer, was selected.) (She did a great job, by the way, but now she has moved out of state and can't run for re-election.)

In light of the aging/health of the fraternity and this possible new office, I've been thinking about how to promote the Secular Franciscans so that those who have a calling may discover us and be able to respond to that calling.

I dealt with some of this in an earlier post. Here are the main points from that post:

1. Pray
2. Teach others about what it means to be a Franciscan.
3. Invite others.
4. Make it look attractive to others.
5. Talk it up.
6. Live out the vocation.

Here are some further ideas culled from various primarily Franciscan sources.

Create a presence on social media (we do have a blog and a Facebook page).

Create brochures (got one, need to update).

Create bookmarks promoting the vocation and the fraternity (hmm).

Put announcements in bulletins (I did that of a couple of parishes, offered sample announcements to other fraternity members, and there's one in this weekend's bulletin in my home parish).

Pulpit announcements? (ulp)

Announce meetings on the calendars offered by the local Catholic newspaper and Catholic radio station. (That's a good one.)

Create "Feed the Birds" packets with birdseed, information about the vocation and the fraternity, and instructions for people to follow St. Francis's idea about feeding the birds on Christmas Day. (I like that idea; wonder how best to do it.)

Hold a Franciscan movie night (We certainly have dvds!)

Spread business cards. (We have them - get them out there!)

Have some Franciscan pens made?

Distribute Franciscan stickers?

Buy or design some t-shirts?

Sponsor a blessing of the animals. (Might be too late to organize for this year?)

Stage a "Come and See" event. (I must admit, organizing events is not my thing. But there may be people in the fraternity who are gifted in that way.)

Have a Franciscan table at a large event such as the big Women's and Men's conference our diocese holds (We did look into that; they charge a bit more than we have in our tight budget to sponsor a table. Maybe try to piggyback with another group?)

Purchase license plate holders for the fraternity. (Hmmm - Christmas gifts?)

I'm sure there are more ideas out there. For now, though, we just need to continue what we are doing, do those things even more openly and frequently, and add some of the ideas above.

Pax et bonum